Afterwards
by newportbeachbabe
Summary: “Do you think we should have stopped last night?” Ryan pondered what the right answer should be. Did this mean that Marissa had regrets? COMPLETE. Please review!
1. The Nameless Club

**Summary: Marissa and Ryan's thoughts after they sleep together.**

**Background: This takes place in season two. Ryan and Marissa have gotten back together (obviously...) and Trey is back from Chino, although it doesn't matter in this chapter. Trey has NOT tried to rape Marissa.**

**This story is a continuation of Join the Club and Afraid of the Unknown. You can easily read this without having read either of these stories, although the part about clubs will be a lot clearer if you read Join the Club (which you should go read anyway and review! Same goes for Afraid of the Unknown).**

**A/N: Okay. So. This is, as you would know if you read the above paragraph, a continuation of Join the Club and Afraid of the Unknown. The entire story (yes, it will be more than one chapter...a three part story) is about Marissa and Ryan's thoughts after they had sex (although I am not writing something about when they actually have sex). The first chapter (what you are about to read) is Marissa's thoughts. A head's up, there are a lot of metaphors in here. I have tried to make them as obvious as possible, but I apologize if they are hard to understand. I don't want to give anything away, but I want to be sure that you can understand and enjoy this story. On that note, the part about clubs (which is like half of the story) is all in her imagination. She is not actually walking into one club, or being faced with an actual door (it will all make sense later, don't worry). Just wanted to clear that up. So now, about reviews. Please please please review! I would like any and ALL reviews. If you review I will personally thank you in the next chapter (in the A/N.)**

**P.S.--I just want to give a HUMONGOUS thanks to everyone who reviewed Afraid of the Unknown. I loved reading your reviews that just seemed to keep coming. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with the O.C. I do, however, own the story. Do not steal and do not copy.

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Well, she was finally a woman.

Although, technically, Marissa had become a woman two years earlier, but that didn't really count.

Last night, Marissa Cooper had slept with Ryan Atwood.

Yeah, that kind of sleeping with.

The kind where clothes are thrown off and two bodies become one.

Their clothes hadn't really been _thrown off_, though. They had been peeled away, piece by piece, revealing the tan skin underneath.

For so many months, Marissa had dreamed of having sex with Ryan. It had caused her much agony and had taken up many hours of her time.

Now that she had slept with a grand total of two, that's right, count them, _two_, people, she felt compelled to compare them.

Them meaning the sex she had with them.

She already spent too much time comparing them in general as it was.

Oh, who was she kidding? Did it really matter how they matched up? The only thing that mattered was which was better.

There was really no question there.

Wait for it, wait for it—

Ryan.

Ryan was better. So much better. Better than she could have ever imagined.

Maybe it was because she was actually in love with him.

Or perhaps it was because haste and spite had not been involved in any way.

Hell, it could have been because Ryan was just way more experienced than Luke.

No matter what though, it all boiled down to the point that sex with Ryan had been amazing.

Scratch that. Making love with Ryan had been amazing.

Did that sound too cheesy? Because Marissa was sure that was what they had done.

Nothing that magical or sacred could be described in ordinary words.

By the way, _sex_ was an ordinary word.

Love—now that was an extraordinary word, a word not used lightly, a word that only the special few were allowed to use.

Marissa officially declared herself as a part of those special few.

Arrogant sounding, she knew, but for the next 24 hours, she declared that she was allowed to be a little arrogant.

Again, arrogant. But did she really care?

Nope.

She could not remember the last time she had felt this…free. It felt as if her whole world had been dropped onto a cloud. Not even her mom could bring her down.

Which was pretty amazing in itself.

Sure, Julie had questioned Marissa about where she had been last night. But Marissa had been prepared and had already concocted an excellent story.

Excellent was pushing it a little, especially since the lie about spending the night at Summer's had been used a lot, but even the most mundane things had a heavenly glow around them.

She was starting to think that she should have sex more often. It did amazing things for her attitude.

Not to mention, her hair seemed to be working more towards her way and her face seemed to glow.

Ah, the joys of being in love.

As she had lain there, wrapped in his arms, thoroughly exhausted by what they had just done, she had never felt so wonderful. Marissa wished that she could spend the rest of her life snuggled up beside Ryan, enveloped in his muscular arms and protected from the outside world.

She wished she could have captured that moment in a bottle and placed it on a shelf for future use. Whenever she was feeling sad or depressed, she would just whip out that bottle, take one teaspoon (or a tablespoon depending on how terrible she was feeling), and all her problems would melt away.

What was she doing thinking about rainy days though? Today was beautiful, bright and sunny. A rainbow was out, even though it hadn't rained.

Or maybe she was just imagining the rainbow…

Has anyone ever compared sex to drugs? Because Marissa was sure that this was what the world on drugs looked like.

Having never had taken drugs (shocking yes, but the truth), she couldn't be sure if this analogy was accurate.

Marissa had heard of Second Virgins. She wondered if perhaps she had become one of them after Luke, and it really was like she had just lost her virginity.

Except that Second Virgins had sex loads of times but then decided to stop having sex and wait until marriage to start up again.

Seeing how she hadn't had sex any times since losing her virginity and she hadn't waited until marriage to have sex again, that term didn't really fit her.

Still, it was if she had just lost one part of her life and reclaimed another.

She didn't really believe in the fact that when one door closed, another door opened. But when she really looked back over her life (or at least the past two years), it would seem as if one door had always opened when the present one closed.

When she and Luke broke up, for instance, Marissa found Ryan. Definitely a better door.

When the door had closed behind Ryan as he left for Chino, a grass-stained door opened. That would be, D.J. came into her life. Perhaps not a better door, but a different one.

After her mom had run D.J. off, a door covered in beer bottle caps and pink had opened. Never had Marissa thought that standing behind _any_ door would be Alex.

Even though Ryan had been the one that had made Alex shut their door, Marissa was okay with it. After all, the door that had opened was one covered in wife beaters, cigarettes, and blueprints.

Okay, so Second Virgin was not the right term for her. And it seemed that there were a lot of doors in her life. So perhaps the door metaphor went for the club scene.

Marissa had a hard time believing that she was the only person in the world who had been dissatisfied with her first time. Surely there were tons of people out there who had lost their virginity to the wrong person. There had to be a club for people like her.

Sadly, she had yet to find it. The only door that had opened up for her after seeing the plain white door of the Virgin Club close in her face had been the one to the Experienced Club. It had been very different from that of the Virgin's, what with its ever growing mural of condom wrappers and pills.

The Experienced Club reminded her of Tijuana. People were every where, drinks were in everyone's hands, and the lights made the whole room look like a flip book.

Of course, there were people scattered through out the club who were alone and depressed. At the bar, a few sullen teenagers sat with three or four empty shot glasses surrounding them, a full glass in their hand.

Marissa always imagined herself as one of the teenagers sitting at the bar.

Although, she only had one shot glass in front of her.

For two years now, the same full glass had rested in her hand, just waiting to be tossed back, ready to start the steady stream of drinks.

Today though, Marissa walked up to the bar and could not find herself. The third barstool over was always her stool. Today it was occupied by a small guy that couldn't have been older than her. He was currently tossing back a shot, the counter in front of him empty save for a coaster and a napkin with a number written on it. The boy grimaced as the alcohol went down and reached for the napkin to wipe his mouth. A sleazy looking bartender poured him another and the boy took it in his hand.

Marissa turned away, knowing that just yesterday the glass had been inches away from her mouth.

She started to search the crowd for a face she knew, especially the one that looked back at her from the mirror. The smoke clouded her vision, but she was able to make out some of her fellow classmates. All of a sudden she spotted a face she had not seen in a long time.

Luke! He was dancing with a brunette and tossing back a beer. No grimace passed over his face; instead a smile formed quickly as the brunette beside him nursed her drink.

Obviously, Marissa was not in here tonight. But why? Every night for two years she had been in this club. Some nights the glass had been closer to her mouth than others, but the glass had been there.

She made her way to a wall that wasn't as crowded as the rest. A corkboard was up, with Polaroid pictures of people posted up on it. There seemed to be two columns, although both were quite bare.

Through the smoke filled haze, she could make out that one column was _Moved On_ and the other was _Given Up_. There were more people under _Given Up_ than there were under _Moved On._ Curious as to what these columns meant, she started scanning the pictures. All of a sudden she let out a little shriek.

There, under the _Moved On_ column was a picture of Ryan. On the white part of the Polaroid were the words **_Ryan Atwood, member since age 13_**.

A little farther down was a picture of her. **_Marissa Cooper, member since age 16_**.

The room began to slowly fall away and Marissa found herself in front of a door covered with all sorts of random memorabilia. There was a cigarette, a mini Ferris Wheel, a hat that said _2004!_, a wife beater, and other things that all reminded Marissa of memories shared with Ryan.

Slowly, she pushed open the door, not sure of what to expect. The sight that greeted her was a welcome one.

The club was made similarly to the pool house. It was comfortable and familiar.

Ryan was sitting on the bed. Also a comforting sight.

It must be the club that the lucky ones get to. Only a few people ever got to this club.

And here she was, a proud member, at the young age of 17.

No longer did Marissa want to be a part of the Virgin Club.

It finally hit her that being a part of the Experienced Club wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. All those nights of sitting at the bar, waiting for the next bitter taste of sex…it wasn't right. Maybe for some people, but not for her.

Now this club, this club was the perfect one.

Marissa imagined that everyone who was a part of _her_ club (the club that she had just newly discovered) had a different club room. Probably whatever room had the most meaning or was the most comfortable.

There was only one thing missing:

A name.

The club needed a name.

But what to call it? It had to be something special, something extravagant.

The more Marissa thought about, the more she was stumped. Maybe the club didn't have a name for a reason. Maybe it didn't _need_ a name after all.

It wasn't like all the other clubs out there. Perhaps not having a name was just another thing that set above all the others.

The Nameless Club.

Marissa Cooper was finally a member of the Nameless Club.

And proud of it.


	2. Pointless Regrets

**Summary: Marissa and Ryan's thoughts after they sleep together.**

**Background: This takes place in season two. Ryan and Marissa have gotten back together (obviously...) and Trey is back from Chino. Trey has NOT tried to rape Marissa.**

**This story is a continuation of Join the Club and Afraid of the Unknown. You can easily read this without having read either of these stories, although the parts about Trey and Ryan's friends from Chino will have more of an impact if you read Afraid of the Unknown (which you should read and review anyway. Same goes for Join the Club!)**

**A/N: This is the second chapter (duh) in this three part story.(Which leaves you with one more part to come.) I guess I just want to say that this chapter, much like the first one, was not how I envisioned it. However, I think it came out well and hopefully fufills your expectations.I would like any and ALL reviews, so please do! Even if it is just one wordtelling me how muchyou liked it, orone sentence telling me thatit wasn't what you expected. Enjoy.**

**Ha! Thought you would get away so easily with such a short A/N? I made a promise in the last chapter that I would thank each and every reviewer. And I am going to. In general, the amount of reviews for one chapter astounded me. And the stats! Holy cow, I am in shock. So here it goes:**

**_J:_ I'm glad you understood everything. It would suck if you didn't (lol). Your review was way beyond "good enough". _hawaiiansurfergirl: _Glad it made sense. About the Nameless Club: you are pretty much right about it being too extraordinary for a name. Although, part of the reason it is "nameless" is because I just couldn't think of a name that would do it justice. _EVCLGSB_**: **Your wish is my command, here is the next update. ****_She Loves Shoes_**:** I am glad I could convert you to the dark side of the show (lol). Thanks for reading even though you don't like R/M. And I love shoes too. ****_Surf Nerd08_**: **Go Ryan and Marissa! I am really enjoying your story Truth Is, hopefully as much as you are enjoying my story. ****_kursk_**: **All I can say is that I hope Marissa is this happy after sleeping with Ryan on the show. Thanks for reviewing! _unfolddream: _I suppose you could call it a series, even though I kinda screwed things up by making the first two different stories. Oh well..thanks for reviewing! _Dogsbody:_ Too bad you hate Marissa--hopefully you like Ryan better. Thanks for reading even though you aren't a fan of Marissa. And don't feel bad about being a member. Hopefully you belong to another, better club as well. _Sis2ACesarSalad:_** **(goodness, that's a long name) I am sorry to dissapoint you, but thank you for feeling like you could tell me. Again, both chapters have turned out differently than I expected, but I hope that they aren't too terrible. But don't be sorry for being let down, don't ever be sorry for your opinion. I hope this chapter is more enlightening for you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with the O.C. I do, however, own the story. Do not steal and do not copy.

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Ryan had walked into the kitchen that morning and had been greeted by Trey.

Trey, who had happened to pull into the Cohen's driveway at exactly the same time as Marissa was pulling out.

Trey, who wanted answers.

Trey, who wouldn't go away until Ryan had finally said yes, he had slept with Marissa last night.

Happy now?

Of course not. Trey couldn't possibly be happy with just a simple answer such as yes.

Trey had to push and shove Ryan for details. How was it? Was she awesome? A girl like that, so beautiful on the outside…

Ryan did not need Trey telling him how beautiful Marissa was. Nor did he need him needling him for details that he did not want to divulge.

Trey had figured out that Ryan had not slept with Marissa before last night.

Something Seth had never been able to do. Ryan did not plan on letting Seth in on the secret.

But of course, in typical fashion, because the universe really was against Ryan, Seth came in just as Ryan was telling Trey to shut up about him having sex with Marissa.

Wait, who slept with Marissa? Ryan, buddy?

Ugh. Ryan groaned inwardly just thinking about what had followed.

Trey told Seth about how Ryan had not spilled anything.

Seth then tried his hand at getting Ryan to open up.

What could he say? He was a man of few words. Even when Ryan was talking voluntarily, words did not come easily.

After much prodding and urging, Ryan finally gave up on the hope that breakfast would be peaceful and let his two brothers pester him.

Trey had an idea. Ryan wouldn't have to actually say how good sex with Marissa was.

Instead, Trey would rattle off the name of someone Ryan had slept with in Chino and Ryan would say better, the same, or worse. Better meaning that Marissa had been better than the aforementioned person.

No way was Ryan going to participate in this. First of all, how sex with Marissa had been was his own business.

Ryan had never been into doing a girl and then telling his buddies about it. Sure, he did tell, but that was just so that he could maintain the image of the bad boy.

Secondly, Ryan did not need Seth to know all the names of the girls he had slept with.

Sure, last year he had told Seth how many girls he had slept with, but Ryan was hoping that Seth had forgotten.

Seth had been only too game for this little session to happen. For Seth, it would be like living vicariously through Ryan's experiences.

Why was it that people always wanted to live vicariously through Ryan?

First Trey, now Seth?

_Lily_ was the first name. Ryan could barely even remember Lily. Lily had been just a dare given by Trey. Sleep with her and Ryan would get ten bucks.

Getting paid to have sex? Ryan had been eager to take Trey up on his dare.

Lily, it turned out, was a twenty something druggie. Lily had been terrible.

Ryan remained silent, however. No way was he letting Trey know any of this.

_Keisha._ Keisha had been a classmate of his. For weeks they had flirted and one night they had both been a little drunk and ended up in the back of Trey's car. Ryan had still been a newbie then. To this day, he still wasn't sure if it had been Keisha that sucked or him.

_Theresa._ Seth stopped smiling at this and looked at Trey.

Trey had no idea about Theresa and the trouble she had caused. No one had bothered to fill Trey in about the baby and the miscarriage.

It wasn't really a subject that got discussed a lot in the Cohen household.

His good mood ruined, Ryan swung his leg over the kitchen stool and retreated to the pool house.

Let Seth explain everything to Trey. Ryan had better things to think about.

Honestly, though? He had been wondering the same thing.

How did Marissa compare to Theresa?

He knew it was unfair to compare them. They were from two totally different worlds.

Marissa had only had sex once before. Ryan had no idea how many times Theresa had had sex, but judging how many times he alone had slept with her, he knew the number was as high as his own.

So basically, Ryan was comparing a pro to a beginner.

And it wasn't fair.

That still left the question though, who had been better?

Well, that all depended on your definition of better.

Ryan wasn't quite sure what his definition of better was.

Being such an expert on sex, Ryan supposed that he was a good judge of sex.

Which did not explain why it was so hard for him to choose between the two.

Maybe, there was no choosing to be done. They had both been good in their own separate ways.

Theresa had been good on the skill level. Way better than Marissa. But that wasn't Marissa's fault.

Marissa, on the other hand, had been better on the experience level. Probably because Ryan had slept with someone he really loved, rather than a girl he had known his whole life and sort of loved.

Wait, now he was getting confused.

Who would have thought that Ryan Atwood, man of few words, would have so many words whirling around in his head?

He began to wonder if it even mattered who had been "better".

To compare them would be lowering himself to the level of his brother and all his other Chino friends.

Not that Ryan thought any less of his Chino friends than he did of say, Seth. But they were on totally different maps. Hell, they weren't even on the same map as far as Ryan was concerned.

That wasn't the point though.

At this point, Ryan wasn't even sure what the point was.

See, this was why he didn't talk much. All the thoughts just built up in his head and it was easier just to stay silent than trying to choose between them.

Perhaps Ryan didn't have to compare them. Maybe all he had to was ask himself one simple question:

Had he enjoyed sleeping with Marissa?

Hell yes.

Or maybe two or three questions…

Had sex with Marissa been different than with other girls?

Yes.

It was hard to explain even to himself _why_ sex with Marissa had been different, but it was suffice to say that it was.

The thought occurred to him that perhaps they had "made love", whatever the hell that meant.

When his brother taught him tricks of the trade, no mention of the difference between sex and making love had been mentioned.

Had Ryan been a little disappointed?

A little, yes.

Not because sex with Marissa hadn't been everything he had imagined. It was more because that now they had broken past that barrier, what else were they supposed to work up for?

Not sleeping with Marissa had always been what had set her apart from all the other girls he had dated.

Well, that and the fact that he was in love with her.

But to him, keeping their relationship somewhat innocent had always been important to him. It was his way of keeping his two lives separate.

How did he know that now their entire relationship wouldn't be all about sex?

After all, with almost every other girl, after the first night, if there were any other nights, the whole date was just sex.

Ryan did not want them to fall into that habit. That habit did not lead to good things.

And yes, he was speaking (or thinking, rather) from experience.

What if he had scared her, or hurt her somehow?

Damn, sex in Chino was a lot easier.

But that was just it. That's all anyone ever did in Chino—sex. And supposedly, Ryan didn't want just sex.

Once again, he was confusing himself.

The smart thing would have been to go call Marissa and talk to her.

On the other hand, maybe the smart thing would have been to not have sex in the first place.

Their relationship had never been easy. Easy was like some distant word just always moving out of his reach. What had he been thinking, sleeping with her? Just when everything was going pretty well for them, this happened and now everything was complicated again.

Had they been ready?

Was anyone really _ready_? Ryan knew that he sure as hell hadn't been ready when he did it for the first time.

Marissa probably wasn't ready when she slept with Luke.

How did you know if you were ready to go all the way? Especially with someone who gave you butterflies even after two years?

_**I think you just know.**_

Those had been Seth's words when Ryan had asked how you knew if you were in love.

Maybe they hadn't been ready. But it was too late now for regrets.

Besides, what exactly was there to regret? Sex with Marissa had been amazing. It really had been. So there was no regret there.

Was it possible to regret something that you weren't even sure was happening?

Ryan didn't think so. Technically, then, he had no regrets about sleeping with Marissa.

Which left him with lots of time to just stare at the ceiling and relive the entire night.


	3. Undecided

**Summary: Marissa and Ryan's thoughts after they sleep together.**

**Background: This takes place in season two. Ryan and Marissa have gotten back together (obviously...) and Trey is back from Chino. Trey has NOT tried to rape Marissa.**

**If you haven't figured out by now that this story is a continuation of Join the Club and Afraid of the Unknown, you haven't been reading this very carefully. So that means you probably aren't reading this right now.**

**A/N: I am so sorry it took me so long to write this. I feel so bad, especially after the wonderful reviews I recieved. It was very hard for me to write this last part...I'm not quite sure why, but it was. Part of it is because I was at camp, as well as the fact that I wrote a one shot (Yesterday, Seven Years Ago) and started another story (Less of a Mother). It turned out a little more fluffier than I would have liked, but a little fluff now and then never hurt anyone. I would like any and ALL reviews, so please let me know what you thought of it..too fluffy for you? Or was it just right? Hit the button and let your voice be heard...like thesesix did:**

**_Dogsbody:_ I have never understood that about men either...being female is so much better (no offense to males). I kept writing, so I hope you will keep reviewing. _Kursk:_ On both accounts, your wish is my command. Sorry it wasn't that soon, though. _J:_ I'm very glad that the last chapter was perfect for you; hopefully this one will be as well. _IluvDanBen33:_ It always makes me happy to hear that a reader loves the story. So thanks! **_**GalootMaster:**_** All I can say is thank you. **_**Sis2ACesarSalad**_**: I'm glad that the last chapter was more enjoyable for you! Wow, that was one long review...thanks so much!**

**Enjoy the story---and remember to review. Please?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that has to do with the O.C. I do, however, own the story. Do not steal and do not copy.

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Ryan was laying back on his bed, thinking about the previous night.

He and Marissa hadn't really talked since then.

Was that a good sign or a bad sign?

Usually when he was this nervous, it was because he and Marissa were in a fight.

Or, rather, Marissa was mad at him and he didn't know why.

This was perhaps the first time that he was nervous about something having to do with Marissa that had nothing to with a fight.

Although, he _had_ been nervous about seeing her the night before school started—both years. Not to mention the night he had spent worrying over how soon Theresa would leave so that things could go back to normal.

So maybe it wasn't the first time. But it was definitely one of the rare moments where his nervousness was not due to an argument with Marissa.

There was a soft rap on the door.

Speak of the devil.

"Come in."

Ryan stared at the handle, willing the person on the other side to be Seth, yet knowing that it was Marissa.

The devil herself, looking as gorgeous as ever, walked through the now open doorway.

"Hey."

Ryan started to get up, ready to greet her and face the challenge that was talking to her.

"Don't bother getting up."

Marissa walked over to the bed and climbed into the familiar position. She fit perfectly with him. Why was this so hard for her?

Fears were something she had grown accustomed to living with. However, most of her fears evaporated when she was around Ryan. So then why had her fears and anxiety shot up as soon as she had entered the pool house?

Ryan wrapped one arm around Marissa and rested the other one on top her hair, stroking it gently. She sighed and he wasn't sure what that meant.

"You just left. I woke up and you were gone."

It had freaked Ryan out to wake up, expecting to feel his girlfriend next to him and then realizing that she wasn't even there. Some time between falling asleep and waking up, she had disappeared.

"Sorry. I had to get back or else my mom would flip out."

Ryan's unspoken words hung in the silence. His tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth and words were more difficult than they ever usually were. He had been afraid that she had left in a hurry because of something he had done.

It was clear that both were wrapped up in their own thoughts.

Marissa broke the silence first.

"Ryan?"

"Yeah?"

"You remember last Valentine's Day, when I came here to try to make the whole Oliver thing up to you?"

How could he forget? It was the time he had turned down sex, the time he had really hurt Marissa by saying that he didn't want to sleep with her.

"Yeah," Ryan answered, not sure where this was going.

"I'm glad that you turned me away," was her muffled response.

This was not what Ryan was expecting to hear. Why was she bringing this up now?

"Do you think we should have stopped last night?" Marissa asked cautiously. Honestly, she wasn't quite sure why she was asking this question. What happened to all the clubs and doors and _moved on_? Could it be possible that she was still insecure about the whole thing, even after discovering the Nameless Club?

She held her breath, waiting for Ryan to answer.

Ryan pondered what the right answer should be. Sure, he had decided he had no regrets about sleeping with her. But did this mean that Marissa had regrets?

Finally, he answered.

"No."

Ryan could hear Marissa exhale, as if she had been holding her breath.

"Do you?"

Her breath hitched up in her throat; she had not been expecting _this_ from Ryan. Slowly, she raised her head up from his chest and settled on her hands.

"Am I really qualified to answer that?" Marissa asked with a small smile.

"Marissa, that has nothing to do with it."

"I think it does…" She was a little hurt by Ryan's statement.

"Look," he began to say, but stopped for a moment, finding the right words. "Do you have any regrets about last night?"

Damn. She had been wondering that herself.

"I…I don't know. Is that a good sign?"

"Better than if you had answered yes," he said, smiling a little.

"Do you ever think about her?"

"Who?" Who _was_ she talking about?

"Theresa." Marissa wasn't quite sure why she was asking this, but it was something she had to know before she could answer Ryan's first question.

"What? Why? Why bring her up now?" Although, Ryan could easily guess where this was going.

"Ry…" That was all she had to say.

"I'm not going to answer that. It's a stupid question that doesn't matter."

"So that's a yes."

"I don't even know what the question was."

"Are you really going to make me ask it?" She cringed slightly.

"Ask what?" Ryan was having fun with this, although it was embarrassing for him.

"Did you think about her at all last night? Do you think of her when I'm with you? Do you ever think about…sleeping with Theresa?"

Ryan sighed and wondered again why she was bringing this up.

"No, of course not. Look, I know what you're getting at, but I'm not biting."

"Ryan, it's just that…I have to know."

"No, you really don't. It doesn't matter, just drop it."

"It matters to me," Marissa said, pouting a little.

"Well it shouldn't," he replied, kissing her on the nose.

Marissa responded by capturing his lips in hers. For a few minutes, they lost themselves in each other.

"You know who I ran into this morning?" she said, breaking away.

"Trey?" Ryan guessed.

"He gave me a very funny look. What was he doing here that early?"

"I haven't a clue…all he did was hassle me about..." Ryan broke off his sentence at the look Marissa was giving him. "He was just being annoying."

"I've made up my mind," she declared a minute later.

"Huh? About what?"

"About whether or not I have any regrets."

Ryan gulped, knowing full well that how she answered would pave the way for their relationship.

"And?" he asked tentatively.

"I don't. Have any, I mean."

Ryan broke out into a huge grin and pulled Marissa up to him. Their tongues collided for a moment, and then he spoke up.

"Glad to hear it."

"So does this mean that we were right not to stop last night?" Marissa was still unsure about where she stood on the issue.

He shrugged. "I think it does."

"Can you ever really be sure? I mean, how do you know if it was right?"

Ryan thought for a moment, then came up with the perfect answer.

"You do it again."


End file.
